The present invention relates to a semi-automatic medicine packaging machine that packages each dose of medication manually dispensed by a user or a pharmacist. Specifically, the present invention relates to the semi-automatic medicine packaging machine with cassette lock unit that improves packaging efficiency and speed by supplying an automatic supply unit and prevents supplement and outflow of tablets by an unauthorized person by fixing tablet cassettes arrayed in the automatic supply unit as a whole.
In general, a semi-automatic medicine packaging machine, which is provided to small pharmacies or other similar places, continuously packages each dose of tablet-type medication manually dispensed by a user or a pharmacist. In contrast to the semi-automatic medicine packaging machine, there is an automatic medicine packaging machine, which is provided to big hospitals or other similar places, that continuously packages each dose of medication through prescription data input.
Referring to FIG. 8, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the semi-automatic medicine packaging machine of prior art includes a medication feed outlet 300 that feeds medications dispensed into a manual dispensing tray 200 established on the upper part of a body 100 and discharges medications to a hopper 400, a sealing unit 600 that feeds and seals tablets in the hopper 400 by tablet envelope(s) on which instruction labels are printed by a printing unit 500, a controller 700 which controls the medication feed outlet 300, the printing unit 500, and the sealing unit 600, a button operation unit 800 that is established on a side of the upper part of the body 100 and inputs user's operation command into the controller 700, a plurality of cassettes stands 900 on the upper part of the body 100, and a plurality of tablet cassettes 901 on the upper part of the cassettes stands 900.
In the semi-automatic medicine packaging machine, a user or a pharmacist compounds prescription by dispensing each dose of medication into the manual dispensing tray 200, and those medications fall freely from the manual dispensing tray 200 into the medication feed outlet 300 at one time.
The each dose of medication fallen into the medication feed outlet 300 are discharged into the hopper 400 by operation of the medication feed outlet 300 which is controlled by the controller 700, and then the each dose of medication is exported to medication envelope(s), on which instructions are printed by the printing unit 500, to form a medication package by heat-sealing process of the healing unit 600.
The sequential performance of the above process makes medication packages which are manually prescription compounded by a pharmacist. The tablet cassettes 901 which is controlled by the controller 700 plays a role of discharging each tablet housed in the interior of the tablet cassettes 901 into the hopper 400. Therefore, frequently used medications may be housed in the tablet cassettes 901 and make medication packages by combining manually dispensed medications with medications in the tablet cassettes 901. Each tablet housed in the tablet cassettes 901 is discharged into the hopper 400 by being rotated by rotators 903 driven by motors 902 established in the cassettes stands 900.
However, the semi-automatic medicine packaging machine by the above prior art has a disadvantage that packaging efficiency and speed are considerably low compared to automatic medicine packaging machine because of almost manual packaging due to shortage in number of tablet cassettes established on the upper part of the body.
Another disadvantage of the semi-automatic medicine packaging machine is that the supplement or outflow of tablets may be easily done by an unauthorized person, so that tablets which have been dispensed into tablet cassettes may not be preserved safely and also the supplement of tablets may not be made exactly.